Ronan Keating Responds To Reports He Has Sold Just 181 Albums In Ireland: 'It's Rubbish'

Irish singer-songwriter and former Boyzone star Ronan Keating has responded to reports that his latest album âFiresâ selling just 181 copies in his homeland so far, blaming low physical sales in general for the remarkably poor turnout.

Keating is a globally renowned star whoâs sold 55million records worldwide, a feat that is barely rivalled back in his hometown of Ireland. But, despite him being one of the countryâs biggest stars, he has failed to make an impact with his latest record - something which Keating says is no fault of his own.

âIt's rubbish,â he told Dublin radio station Strawberry Alarm Clock. âThe #1 album midweek here sold about 700 - it's not like sales for anything are sky high. Album sales in Ireland are never going to keep you in Gucci - you do it to make a presence. They didn't include my download sales either and the downloads were quite substantially more than that but I'm not going to get into a battle about it.â

He quickly added: âHopefully I'll be top three in the UK. When I saw what was written here in Ireland I was like, 'What the hell?' I mean, it's number four in the UK midweek charts already.â

Despite his Irish fans not splashing out for a physical copy of the record, Keating is happy with the record and will be taking it on UK tour in January 2013. If youâre a fan, you can find tickets through Stereoboard by checking the dates and links below.